BODY OF KNOWLEDGE FOR PR AND COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT

Source : Global Body of Knowledge Project (GBOK) Global Alliance

Mid-Career or Senior Roles

The following roles are typical of a more experienced professional and of senior professionals:

• Reputation management
• Government Relations and public affairs
• Evaluation and measurement
• Definition of values and guiding principles
• Advanced environmental scanning and trend identification
• Evaluative Research
• Building and managing trust
• Issue identification

To excel in these roles, a public relations professional should have:

KNOWLEDGE OF

A. Research, Planning and Evaluation

• Measurement and evaluation approaches vis-à-vis objectives and outcomes
• Uses of research and forecasting
• Research methods and concepts
• Proactive and reactive communications approaches
• Stakeholder analysis, influential individuals or organizations
• Cultural preferences of audiences
• Planning and implementation techniques
• Sequencing and rollout approaches
• Evaluation methods
• Best practices in public relations

B. Ethics and Law

• Ethical principles, issues and framework
• Codes of practice
• Legal requirements and issues
• Ethical behavior, transparency, professionalism, governance considerations

C. Crisis Communication Management

• Identification and evolution of a crisis and its distinct stages
• Communication approaches and need for constant and immediate communication
• Applying cross-cultural and diversity considerations
• Meeting facilitation skills

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

In addition, the following senior skills and abilities, although not considered essential and universal, are deemed necessary to practice and excel at the more senior levels:

A. Research Planning, Implementation and Evaluation

Research: Uses a variety of research tools to gather information about the employer or client, industry and relevant issues. Investigates stakeholders’ understanding of the product, organization and issues. Applies research findings.

Analytical Skills: Continuously analyses the business environment that includes the employer or client, stakeholders, employees and suppliers. Ability to filter and process large amount of data and to extract valuable information for decision-making. Objectively interprets data and has ability to gather key insights from data points.

Strategic thinking and management: Synthesizes relevant information to determine what is needed to position the client, organization, or issue appropriately in its market/environment, especially with regard to changing business, political, or cultural climates.

Planning: Sets goals and objectives based on research findings. Distinguishes among goals, objectives, strategies and tactics. Distinguishes organizational/operational goals and strategies from communication goals and strategies. Align project goals with organization mission and goals. Identifies specific desired PR outcomes. Establishes budget and strategic direction for communication in relation to organizational goals. Establishes communication metrics to evaluate success. Establishes rollout sequence.

Audience Identification: Differentiates among publics, markets, audiences and stakeholders. Identifies appropriate audiences and the opinions, beliefs, attitudes, cultures, and values of each. Assesses interests of influential institutions, groups and individuals. Identifies appropriate communication channels/vehicles for reaching target audiences. Identifies communities including those formed through technologies. Understands conflicting aims and areas of mutual interest of individual constituent groups (e.g. investors, governmental agencies, unions, consumers) with the organization.

Diversity: Identifies and respects a range of differences among target audiences. Researches and addresses the cultural preferences and/or needs and barriers to communication of target audiences. Develops culturally and linguistically appropriate strategies and tactics. Works to be inclusive.

Implementation: Understands sequence of events and communication actions. Develops timelines and budget. Assign responsibilities. Executes planned strategies and tactics. Demonstrates project management skills.

Evaluation and measurement: Determines if goals and objectives of public relations program were met and the extent to which the results or outcomes of public relations programs are supporting organizational goals. Uses evaluation results for future planning.

B. Applying Professionalism, Ethics and Law

Ethical behaviour: Understands commonly accepted standards for professional behaviour. Recognizes ethical dilemmas. Identifies solutions to ethical dilemmas and demonstrates ethical conduct.

Democratic principles: Understands free speech as a foundation for public relations in democratic societies. Distinguishes between political and corporate speech. Able to articulate conditions for libel, slander, defamation and defenses thereof. Understands impact of digital record on the status of public and private figures and organizations.

Privacy issues: Understands prevailing laws regarding identity protection, ethical implications and digital record keeping. Effectively advises organization on the strategic adoption and effective use of technology for listening to, communicating with and engaging priority publics.

C. Managing Issues and Crisis Communications

Issues and risk management: Identifies potential or emerging issues that may impact and effect on the organization.  Identifies potential risks to the organization or client. Analyses probability and potential impact of risk. Ensures organization develops appropriate legal, ethical and reputational response to plans. Designs and deploys and leads response to crisis.

Crisis management: Understands the roles and responsibilities of public relations at the pre-crisis, crisis, and post-crisis phases. Communicates the implications of each of these phases and understands the messaging needs of each. Looks beyond current organizational mindset and explores solutions.

Counsel to management: Understands the importance of providing counsel to the management team or client regarding issues, risks and crises. Looks beyond the current organizational mindset and explores solutions. Considers and accommodates all views on an issue or crisis. Factor views into communication strategy.

D. Understanding Communication Models, Theories and History of the Profession

Communication/public relations models and theories: Demonstrates familiarity with public relations and social sciences theories and research that guides planning, prioritizing audiences, developing messages, selecting spokespeople, establishing credibility and trust.

Barriers to communication: Understands how different audiences interpret messages and messengers. Understands barriers that prevent changes to knowledge, attitude and behaviour. Understands how semantics, cultural norms, timing, context and related factors affect the communication results. Understands that greater transparency leads to greater trust.

Knowledge of the field: Defines public relations and differentiates among related concepts (e.g. publicity, advertising, marketing, propaganda, press agentry, public affairs, lobbying, investor relations, social networking and branding). Identifies transformations in the practice and major trends in the development of public relations.

E. Leading the Public Relations Function

Values and character: Understands the role that public relations play at the strategic level. Provides advice and counsel to management. Helps to shape the organization’s values and characters.

Business literacy: Understands and explains how employers/clients generate revenue and how their operations are conducted. Identifies relevant business drivers and how they affect the business. Understands how the public relations function contributes to the financial success of the organization and its ‘licence to operate’

Resource management: Takes into account human, financial and organizational resources. Prepares, justifies and controls budgets for departments, programmes, clients or agencies. Understands what information needs to be collected, evaluated, disseminated and retained. Is able to obtain information using innovative methods and appropriately store it, so that it can be retrieved easily for future use.

Organizational structure and resources: Recognizes chain of command, including board of directors, senior leadership, middle management, direct line supervision, line positions and each level’s distinction. Knows how organizations are horizontally and vertically structured. Identifies which divisions within an organization need to be involved in any communication programme. Understands and accommodates organizational governance imperatives. Recognizes the relationships among PR, legal, marketing, finance and IT etc. as essential management functions.

Problem solving and decision-making: Approaches problems with sound reasoning and logic. Distinguishes between relevant and irrelevant information. Evaluates opportunities for resolution. Devises appropriate courses of action based on context and facts. Makes sound, well-informed and objective decisions in a timely manner. Assesses the implications of these decisions.

Leadership skills: Influences others to achieve desired goals. Motivates and inspires others, builds coalitions and communicates vision. Demonstrates influence in organizational changes in policy, procedures, staffing and structure, as appropriate.

Organizational skills: Integrates multiple dimensions of a public relations campaign. Integrates internal and external components, so that there is a synergy among the messages.

G. Managing Relationships

Relationship building and engagement: Understands consensus-building strategies and techniques to engage key stakeholders in decision-making. Ensures discussions allow key stakeholders the opportunity to express opinions. Recognizes need for affected parties and stakeholders to find mutually acceptable solutions. Utilizes persuasion, negotiation and coalition building.

Reputation management: Understands needs for maintaining individual and organizational credibility with and among key constituents. Recognizes value of reputation, image, public trust and corporate social responsibility.

Internal stakeholders: Understands importance of internal relationships to the public relations function. Understands the importance of organizational structure and communicating key messages through appropriate channels. Uses mediated and non-mediated channels of communication for effective engagement. Prioritizes internal audiences.

Media Relations: Understands definitions, strengths, weaknesses and needs of different media. Understands the relationships among public relations professionals, journalists and media organizations. Builds effective relationships with media based on mutual respect and trust. Analyses current events and trends for opportunities and threats. Identifies appropriate controlled and uncontrolled media channels and key influencers.

Networks: Understands how to establish and enhance relationships with stakeholders (e.g. electronic communications, special events, face-to-face communication, networking, social networking, and word-of-mouth, and third party communication). Recognizes inter-connectedness among various stakeholders. Considers broad/global relationships.

BEHAVIOURS

Having the knowledge to practice, as well as the skills and abilities deemed desirable to excel in the work environment is not sufficient unless one also demonstrates a set of behaviours-an attitude- that can make a difference in serving organizations, clients and society.

The following elements are seen as a recipe for success in the practice of public relations and communication management.

All professionals should exhibit the following behaviours:

Integrity and accountability: Conducts activities in a lawful and principled manner. Functions as the conscience of the organization. Adheres to commonly accepted standards of professional behaviour and upholds codes of ethics of professional bodies. Takes responsibility for own actions and those of employees under them.

Ethical conduct: Acts to remedy unethical acts. Refuses to participate in unethical or deceptive actions.

Judgment and collaboration: Demonstrates sound judgment and works collegially. Understands the needs for teamwork, collaboration and adaptability.

Transparency: Conducts professional activities with the greatest transparency, avoids spin or deceptive communication.

Legal and contextual awareness: Awareness and knowledge of applicable international, national, regional and local laws regarding disclosure privacy, and defamation of character, copyright, trademarks and fair use. Upholds these laws in an ethical manner. Awareness of industry trends and consumer patterns.

Influence and leadership: Leads by example in managing people and issues. Demonstrates a values-based approach to deal with stakeholders, employees and clients.

Learning: In a rapidly changing profession commits to a programme of lifelong learning and professional development. Contributes to the advancement of the profession by sharing knowledge and mentoring others.

Inclusiveness and accommodation: Shows respect and accommodation for diverse points of view, ethnicity and cultural differences.

Adaptability: Is able to change course quickly due to events and scale activities in response to changing circumstances.

Citizenship and sustainability: Acts with due consideration to the environment and with awareness of sustainable practices. Shows leadership in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.